Legends of Tomorrow co-showrunner Keto Shimizu addresses some of the toxic fan reactions to the cancellation of the CW drama Arrowverse.
Following The CW’s decision to cancel Legends of tomorrow, the showrunner addresses some of the toxic fans who had a hostile reaction to the news. While the Arrowverse has been a major franchise for The CW since 2012, DC’s TV shows are going to get a few changes in the upcoming TV season. In previous years, The CW has gone ahead and renewed the majority of its dramas, including Arrowverse shows. Normally, the network would distribute renewals in late January / early February, allowing the creative teams to start planning their respective next seasons early.
Legends of tomorrow was one of the few Arrowverse shows to have a shorter runtime as they normally have 13-16 episode orders. This year, Legends of tomorrow season 7 only had 13, as they finished their run in early March. This was also the case for batman season 3, as both DC dramas aired their season finales, but unsure whether they would be back for another season. Since The CW’s future was up in the air as its owners sought to sell it, the status quo of their renewal process was changed as many shows had to wait a long time if they returned next season.
Unfortunately, Legends of tomorrow became one of the Arrowverse shows to be officially canceled after airing for 7 seasons. While there was some understandable disappointment among viewers, some sides of the fandom took their responses a bit too far with toxic and inappropriate behavior. Shimizu Ketowho was one of Legends of tomorrow showrunners, recently addressed this behavior on Twitter, stating that the harassment and attacks on the people who made the decision to leave the show is absolutely not tolerable. Check out Shimizu’s full statement below:
To further clarify: there has only been love for #LegendsOfTomorrow of all parties concerned. The people we work with at Berlanti, DC, WB and the CW ALL wanted the show to go on. They were fans, and still are.
— Keto Shimizu (@ketomizu) May 7, 2022
Click here to see the original tweet.
There are forces at play beyond the control of all the entities named above. It’s a tough time for all media makers, and pressures are coming from all directions. We all wanted a different result. Nobody wanted that.
— Keto Shimizu (@ketomizu) May 7, 2022
Click here to see the original tweet.
Our show was very much about the power of hope, love, family, growth and forgiveness. Support us with the celebration. Support us with gratitude. Support us with your art, your joy and your humor.
— Keto Shimizu (@ketomizu) May 7, 2022
Click here to see the original tweet.
Threats, intimidation, blame and vitriol are neither helpful nor welcome. Remember there are humans behind the companies involved. Good humans, suffering as much as some of you are right now. Please be kind and forgiving.
— Keto Shimizu (@ketomizu) May 7, 2022
Click here to see the original tweet.
Since the announcement that Legends of tomorrow wouldn’t get a season 8, there were a lot of strong reactions on social media. One of the biggest disappointments was that the end of the Arrowverse spinoff meant a huge loss of representation in the franchise. Legends of tomorrow has, over the years, garnered critical acclaim for its inclusion of people of color as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community. This is a similar point for batmanwhich was also canceled on the same day as Legends of tomorrow.
It goes without saying that any form of toxic behavior is inexcusable because falling to that level is never justified, no matter how upset one is about a show being canceled. While it’s understandable to be disappointed in The CW’s ending appeal Legends of tomorrow without a final season, attacking anyone involved in the decision is never the answer. As Shimizu pointed out, there are still real people behind these decisions, and targeting anyone with threats won’t bring a show like Legends of tomorrow back. The CW’s Arrowverse properties aren’t the only ones seeing their status quo changed. Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly set to undergo a major overhaul of its DC TV shows and movies after the merger is finalized. That means a lot is changing behind the scenes, but with the Arrowverse still happening, hopefully at least one of the current shows will bring some back. Legends of tomorrow characters next season.
Source: Shimizu Keto
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